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 |  Meet the New President & CEO
As of January 1, 2013, David J. Bonaparte is Jewelers of America's acting President & CEO. Learn what drew him to JA and get to know him and his industry background better. 
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 Jewelry 101 Training Program: Revamped and Relaunched!
Jewelers of America's popular Jewelry 101 sales training and orientation program is all new with a new module on Selling Jewelry from the experts at Diamond Council of America. Plus, updated sections on key jewelry categories: diamonds, gemstones, gold, cultured pearls and platinum. Order yours today!
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 Only a Few Weeks Left to Enter the CASE Awards! 
Showcase your custom designs and extraordinary jewelry pieces to a national audience! Return the CASE Awards entry form by February 8 to be considered for JA's retailer design competition held at the JA New York Winter Show, February 24-26.
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 Ultimate Proposal Contest: Save the Date! Our consumer education arm, Jewelry Information Center, will be launching its popular Ultimate Proposal Contest in February. Jewelers of America Retail Members have the exclusive opportunity to participate in the Contest and receive free marketing material for in-store and online promotion. Look for details coming to you soon, and save the Ultimate Proposal Contest dates (February 25 - April 15, 2013) on your marketing calendars.
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 |  Jewelry 101: Effective Profiling Essential to Closing Sales We're excited about the updated version of Jewelers of America's Jewelry 101 sales training program, especially the additional module on Selling by Diamond Council of America that includes an expert overview of the eight essential steps to closing a sale. Here we provide an excerpt from this new section on the third step, Profiling:
Effective profiling enables you to gather information by asking focused questions and interpreting the customer's responses. A logical place to start is finding out whether the customer is making a self-purchase or buying a gift. Then come additional details:
- Is the purchase for a special occasion?
- What messages should the jewelry send -- to the person who wears it and the rest of the world?
- Are there preferences in gems, colors, styles, designs?
- What are the person's tastes and lifestyle like?
- What kind of jewelry does she or he already own?
- How often and where will the item be worn?
The more you learn, the better prepared you'll be to make suggestions. When you're gathering all this information, be careful not to make the customer feel like she's being interrogated.
Just as when you're building rapport, questions should be open-ended or phrased as conversational statements. For example, if the customer says she's looking for a birthday gift for her fiancé, an appropriate reply might be, "Great! Tell me a little about him" or "I'd like to hear some of the ideas you've been kicking around."
Also be careful to avoid questions the customer might have to answer with, "I don't know." Rather than "What's his favorite color?" you might try "Name a few colors you think he looks good in."
Jewelers of America Members can purchase the Jewelry 101 sales training guide for only $49.95. Click for details & to order. |
 | GEM Awards Draws Hollywood & Jewelry Icons
The 11th annual GEM Awards, hosted by Jewelry Information Center on Friday, January 11th, gathered Hollywood and jewelry icons -- like (L-R) Susan Jacques of Borsheims, Matthew A. Runci, Lara Spencer of "Good Morning America," Brooke Shields and luxury designer Ippolita -- to recognize the outstanding achievements of individuals whose work raises the visibility of fine jewelry and watches. See video & photo highlights of the exciting evening at JIC.org.
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 | February 2-6: Centurion Jewelry Show, Scottsdale, AZ
February 5-10: AGTA GemFair Tucson, Tucson, AZ
February 24: Minnesota-North Dakota Annual Convention, Bloomington, MN
February 24-26:JA New York Winter Show, New York, NY
For a full list of upcoming industry events, visit Jewelers of America's Industry Events Directory at www.jewelers.org.
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